skylark
by Mein Liebling
Summary: 'Only a few more days,' Jacen thought. Then he would be able to touch the sky.


"_**Oye como va, mi ritmo  
>Bueno pa' gozar, mulata."<strong>_

* * *

><p>In his first week at Hogwarts he didn't speak to anyone unless spoken to.<p>

He didn't mind. He wasn't lonely. He didn't wish to be a part of the cliques, of the prejudice, of the fights and taunts that his house always got into with the Gryffindors.

_(But maybe a tiny part of him wished that, if only for a little while, he could pretend to be like them and __**laugh**__.)_

So he sat and waited and watched; his face a mask of indifference as he glanced up at the sky mindlessly. The boy waited for Professor Merrythought to show up, his brown hair windswept from spending most of his morning sitting at the top of the Astronomy Tower, watching the clouds blankly. He curled up on the chair in the corner, near the back with his shoes underneath him and his robes wrapped around him. Most of the other First Years were mingling near the front, so he didn't worry about being bothered by any of them.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" He turned his head to the side, surprised at the sudden interruption.

A boy- a Hufflepuff, he noticed, although it didn't make any difference to him- nervously fidgeted. His bag was already placed on the desk beside him, so he shrugged and looked back out towards the window.

The boy let out a sigh as he dropped into the chair next to him.

"I'm Dirk Cresswell, also. Hufflepuff- er, well, you know that." Dirk let out a laugh as he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "What's your name?"

The brown haired boy shuffled around on his chair, and muttered, "Jacen. Jacen Gibbon."

"Jacen? Nice to meet you!" Dirk beamed, his blond hair shining brightly under the candlelight. "I have a friend named Jacen."

"Lovely."

Merrythought came in at the next moment, thankfully sparing Jacen from talking anymore to the cheerful Hufflepuff. He sighed as the lesson began and turned back to the window to watch the birds fly around in the sky.

_If only…_

* * *

><p>"Gibbon! Man, you must really like the corner, huh?"<p>

Jacen was startled from his trance as he looked up from his book, muddy eyes wide as he blinked stupidly for a few seconds. They narrowed quickly as he noticed who was in front of him.

"I simply find them much more comfortable, Cresswell." He intoned sharply, placing a bookmark in his book as he looked up at the Hufflepuff. "What do you want?"

"Eh?" Dirk paused for a moment. "Nothing! I was just curious, you know. We don't share a lot of classes, don't we?"

"Slytherins share Defense, Herbology, Astronomy, and Flying Lessons with the Hufflepuffs." He deadpanned.

"O-Oh." Dirk seemed surprised. "Why don't I see you then?"

"Because you're annoying." Jacen opened his book again, ready to bury his face in its pristine white pages.

Dirk flushed. "H-Hey! That's rude!"

Jacen shrugged and didn't reply.

The blond Hufflepuff pursed his lips and left Jacen to his thoughts in the corner. The Slytherin watched his retreating back for a moment before glancing at the window to his left.

Blue.

Only a few more days, he reminded himself as he dug his nose into the textbook. Only a few more.

* * *

><p>"Alright!" The Flying instructor barked. "Everyone got a broom? Good! Now hold out your right hand and say 'up', got it?"<p>

There were a few mumbles of 'yes', and the teacher seemed satisfied with this. Jacen quietly mumbled 'up' to his broom, and smiled slightly as it jumped up in his hand. He looked around and his grin faded, as the rest of the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs had trouble getting the old broom in their hands.

"Next year they said they'd get the new Cleansweeps," Regulus Black muttered to his friend somewhere from his left. "I just wish they got them this year though."

Jacen silently agreed, but he kept his eyes glued on the broom, willing the teacher to quit helping the Hufflepuffs and allow them to get on the brooms.

After a few more minutes of the Professor fussing, she finally allowed them to get on the brooms. "Now, I want you to push off the ground in three, two, one-" Immediately the sky was filled with over eager fliers and children laughing and screaming as they tried to balance on their brooms.

The brown haired boy nearly rolled his eyes, but instead gently pushed off the ground and floated easily above the rest, some thirty meters off the ground. He lazily spun in circles around them and closed his eyes, enjoying the rush of the broom and the wind blowing in his face.

"Oi! Gibbon!"

Jacen opened an eye and glared at one of the other Slytherins, who was smiling with extra teeth and a look in his eyes as if he had won the lottery.

"Why don't you come down here so we can play a game?" the other boy suggested. Jacen had never bothered learning his name. The less he knew about the obnoxious people, the better in his opinion.

The thought of playing a 'game' with him immediately made him tense up, so he frowned and shook his head. "No." he answered shortly, pushing his broom up a little so he would soar more towards the clouds.

_Freedom was just brushing his fingertips. _He closed his eyes again and took in a deep breath, a hand coming off his broom to try and touch the clouds.

"What do you mean _no_?"

"No. As in negative. I will not be joining you in your game."

"Aww, come on Gibbon!" he sneered.

"No."

"W-"

Dirk flew up next to him, frowning as he stared at the pesky Slytherins. "Hey, what are you doing bugging Gibbon? He said no didn't he?"

Jacen stared at him, but he was entirely focused on the Slytherin, who had rolled his eyes. "Shut up Cresswell, and stay out of our business."

"It's not 'business'," Dirk replied crossly. "It's called bugging him and as you can tell, he currently doesn't want to join you."

"And why didn't he say so himself?"

Dirk blinked. "W-Well, er-"

"I couldn't be bothered telling you no, as you are not worth my time." Jacen interrupted bluntly, crossing his arms as he glared at the Slytherin. "Now, shoo."

The Slytherin scowled, but just as he opened his mouth, the Flying Professor blew her whistle and waved her arms to make all the drifting students come back down.

Dirk hesitated for a moment as he floated next to Jacen, but the brown haired boy beat him to the punch. "Thanks," Gibbon muttered, as he slowly descended, his fingers still levitating off the broom to try and catch the cold, almost frostbite cold, clouds.

The blond froze, not expecting the apology, and didn't move until the Professor barked at him to get down, which he did so hurriedly and sloppily falling to the ground.

He stood next to Jacen, who was as stiff as a statue, and grinned. "Thanks."

"Whatever." Jacen ducked his head.

* * *

><p>"You know, you're a <em>really <em>good flier." Dirk mentioned conversationally.

Jacen looked up from his book briefly to raise an eyebrow. They were back in the library, in the corner with their homework spread all around them. "Thank you, I guess."

The blond ignored the snarky undertones. "Have you thought about playing for the team next year? You'd be really great at it."

The other tilted his head. "I hadn't thought about it. I do like flying though..."

Dirk laughed. "I kinda figured with you always looking outside the window. You're like a bird!"

"A bird?" Jacen sounded both questioning and suspicious, as if Dirk was going to make fun of him.

"Yeah! Like a skylark or something. Hey, if you're a skylark, then I need a cool nickname too! What do you think about that?"

"You'd be a mole." Jacen turned his attention back to his book and smiled slightly behind it. Dirk's mouth opened and closed slowly as he stared at his friend.

"Oi! That's mean!"

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Oye como va, mi ritmo<br>Bueno pa' gozar, mulata."**_

* * *

><p><em>For QL. Pristine, Frostbite, Oye Como Va.<em>

_I don't own anything._


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